Rutgers Professional Athletes

Kahleah Copper is putting up some of the most jaw-dropping numbers of her career — and simultaneously walking a disciplinary tightrope that could cost her games when Phoenix can least afford it.

The Rutgers alum and Mercury star dropped 38 points against the Atlanta Dream on Aug. 23 and followed it up with a 35-point night against the Washington Mystics on Aug. 28, a birthday-eve performance she celebrated by asking the Mercury staff and X-Factor to show up in Western gear. They obliged. The crowd loved it. The scoreboard, unfortunately, did not — Phoenix lost both games.

That's the knot Copper can't untie right now. The Mercury are fighting through a stretch the franchise rarely navigates: a late-season race just to stay relevant, with postseason odds fading fast. Copper is giving them everything she has, but her individual brilliance hasn't been enough to drag the team over the finish line.

The Suspension Shadow

Making matters more complicated, Copper picked up her seventh technical foul during the Mystics game, putting her squarely in the WNBA's crosshairs. League rules mandate escalating punishment as players approach the suspension threshold, and with the regular season winding down, any games missed would sting — both for Mercury playoff hopes and for Copper's own momentum. It's a precarious position for a player who has been Phoenix's most indispensable weapon all season.

Laney-Hamilton Quietly Steady in D.C.

Fellow Rutgers alum Betnijah Laney-Hamilton has been a different kind of story in Washington. The Mystics forward didn't light up the stat sheet this week — six points apiece in back-to-back wins over the Mercury — but her contributions stretched beyond scoring. She logged seven assists in Friday's 80-73 victory, finished with a +18 plus-minus, and helped Washington sweep Phoenix across both matchups this week. For a Mystics team still finding its footing, Laney-Hamilton's steadiness matters more than any single box score line.

Wheeler Flashes in a Sparks Win

Erica Wheeler had a quieter week overall for the Los Angeles Sparks but showed up when it counted. She put up 11 points and five assists in the Sparks' 77-68 win over the Connecticut Sun on Aug. 23 — Los Angeles's first win after a brutal six-game skid — finishing a +12 on the night. She followed with a mixed bag against the Mystics on Aug. 29, recording eight assists but scoring just eight points in an 88-82 Sparks victory. The assists number tells the real story: Wheeler is running this offense even when the buckets aren't falling.

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The Rutgers WNBA contingent is scattered across very different narratives right now. Copper is the league's most electric scorer this week and a player one technical foul away from an involuntary night off. Laney-Hamilton is winning quietly. Wheeler is keeping a streaky Sparks team organized. All three are worth watching as the regular season heads into its final turn.

Laney-Hamilton's Liberty Era Ends — Washington Waiting

The most jarring Rutgers story of the week didn't happen on a court. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, an 11-year veteran and key piece of New York's 2024 championship team, was waived by the Liberty on Thursday to make room for Marine Fauthoux's multi-year deal. The move was stunning in both timing and method: Laney-Hamilton had signed a one-year, $400,000 protected veteran contract without a buyout clause, meaning the Liberty couldn't even recoup cap space unless she was claimed.

She was. The Washington Mystics won the waiver claim on Saturday, giving the Rutgers alum a soft landing and a fresh start.

Liberty head coach Chris DeMarco acknowledged that Laney-Hamilton had sought "other opportunities" before the two sides split, and praised her professionalism throughout. Still, the optics were rough for a franchise that leaned heavily on her during its championship run — the 2021 All-Star had started just four games this season before being benched and ultimately cut.

After missing all of 2025 recovering from a meniscus surgery on her left knee, Laney-Hamilton never quite recaptured her earlier form in Brooklyn. Now, at 32, she heads to a Mystics team that could use veteran leadership as the season winds down.

Copper Catches Fire, Carries Mercury

While the Laney-Hamilton saga dominated headlines, Kahleah Copper was making noise on the floor. The Mercury wing erupted for a season-high 31 points on Tuesday against the Chicago Sky in Phoenix's 106-101 win — a performance that carried a +11 plus-minus and reminded the league why the Mercury made her a cornerstone of their rebuild.

The week wasn't without turbulence. Copper followed that explosion with a 14-point, -9 night in an 82-96 loss to Atlanta on Wednesday, then was held to 16 in a narrow 75-72 defeat to Connecticut on Friday. But the Tuesday explosion underscored Copper's standing as one of the game's premier two-way wings, particularly as Phoenix continues to integrate new acquisition Kelsey Plum into its lineup. Copper herself has been effusive about the Plum trade, telling reporters she's felt "like a kid in a candy store" since the star guard arrived.

The Mercury's ceiling just got higher — and Copper looks like the engine.

Wheeler Quietly Stuffs the Stat Sheet

Don't sleep on Erica Wheeler. The Sparks guard had a quietly impactful week, posting 12 points and 8 assists in a win over Chicago on Sunday, then contributing 14 points and 5 assists in a loss to the Sky on Thursday. She saved her best for last: Wheeler scored 12 points and dished 9 assists Friday as Los Angeles snapped Minnesota's 10-game win streak with an 89-82 victory — one of the bigger upsets of the WNBA season. The game-ending 8-0 run featured Wheeler as a key facilitator down the stretch.

Three Rutgers alums. Three different stories. One very eventful week.